


saturday nights

by sun_summoning



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-07-09 16:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 12,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sun_summoning/pseuds/sun_summoning
Summary: (LadyNoir July prompts)#26 Sacrifice - Ladybug and Chat Noir fight over who gets the last cookie.#27 Comfort - Ladybug had a bad day.#28 Community Service - Chat Noir brings Ladybug to the shelter he volunteers at.#29 Kwami Swap - “You have beautiful eyes,” Ladybug blurts out.#30 Inspiration - Who is your hero, Ladybug?#31 Waiting On You - After being separated and with their miraculous out of commission, Ladybug waits for Chat Noir to come find her.





	1. miraculouses

Multimouse is actually impressed when she and Aspik take down the akuma in no time. She’s teamed up heroes other than Chat Noir before, but none of them have ever come even close to that level of innate compatibility they shared. And while she’s not exactly Ladybug right now and she’s fighting alongside someone Master Fu just _told_ her to work with, Aspik has certainly impressed her. 

She has no idea who he is, but if she’s ever in a tight spot, he’s definitely going to be her first choice.

“Pound it!” they cry at the same time, bumping fists like they’ve done this dozens of times before.

Multimouse startles a bit at his eager voice. After all, he’d been all business during the battle. Cool and quiet and…honestly kind of hot.

“You did pretty well for a first-timer,” she says. 

Aspik looks at his lyre with a wry smile, like he’s sharing a joke with himself. “You think so?” He takes a step closer, regarding her with amusement in his green eyes.

Green eyes.

Multimouse’s brow furrows in thought.

“You did pretty well too,” he tells her. “It’s almost like you’ve done this before, Multimouse.” He leans in a little but she refuses to budge. “Have you?”

“I don’t know,” she replies slowly. “Have _you_?”

They narrow their eyes at each other, suspicious yet unafraid, until finally it clicks and they both draw back.

Multimouse points at Aspik accusingly just as he does the same.

“Chat Noir!”

“Ladybug!”

He’s too busy sputtering to make the first call out. Multimouse crosses her arms. “The snake, huh?”

“All the better to…” Aspik – _Chat Noir_ – falters, lips falling into a frown. “Okay, I have nothing.” Then he pouts. “Man! Where’s Plagg when I need him? There are so many cat and mouse jokes in my head right now but _none of them technically apply_!”

Multimouse pats his shoulder without an ounce of sympathy. “There, there.”


	2. civilian life

"Whenever you meet a blond-haired, green-eyed boy in your civilian life, do you stop and wonder if he’s me?”

Ladybug nearly trips as she considers Chat Noir’s question because she doesn’t know many boys with blond hair and green eyes. She only knows two with those specific qualifications, one of them being right beside her, and if they happened to be the _same_ boy, she doesn’t know what she’d do about it.

Ladybug cocks her head at him. “When you meet a girl with black hair and blue eyes, do _you_ stop and wonder if she’s me?”

“Always.”

His quick answer startles her. “Oh.” 

Ladybug draws into herself, unsure how she feels about Chat Noir maybe finding out who she is. She’s not embarrassed or anything. She’s proud and confident and knows her worth. This is her partner though, and it would crush her if he, for whatever reason, thought less of her. 

But he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. Pedestal or not, Ladybug knows that at the very least, their friendship is unconditional.

“Have you found any contenders?” she teases.

“Very few,” he admits. Chat Noir holds a hand over his heart. “There’s much more to you than the colour of your hair and eyes, my lady.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Like your smile.” Trust Chat Noir to wax poetic in what should be a logical search full of critical thinking and attention to detail. “And the way your face lights up when you think of me.”

“Ugh.”

Chat Noir pokes her cheek affectionately. “ _That’s_ the face. I see the red on your cheeks, my lady.”

“Yeah, from frustration!”

Chat Noir laughs. “Alright, well, there are the freckles. Always gotta look for the freckles.”

Ladybug touches her nose without really thinking about it. Her fingers brush over the mask that covers the majority of them. 

“My favourite one,” he continues, “is the one on your left cheek.” 

She can feel him staring at it, but he doesn’t dare touch her. “They all look the same, Chat Noir.”

“To you, maybe.”

She shakes her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously in _love_.”

Ladybug shoves him forward so they can continue their patrol route. She spots a billboard advertising Adrien’s cologne and squashes down the hope that he might secretly be Chat Noir.


	3. patrol

Turning down Chat Noir’s requests to hangout gets harder and harder over the months they spend together. As much as Ladybug hates admitting it, the silly cat has effectively worn down her defences. Sure, she’s still all about keeping things professional, but she really can’t help herself when she has a pun that would follow perfectly after his and they end up sitting on the rooftops making silly jokes all afternoon. And then there’s the touching – necessary in battle perhaps, definitely not needed at regular times. She leans on him, climbs onto his back for better vantage points, rests an arm on his shoulder even though he’s taller and it doesn’t actually make sense. 

At some point in the two years of them going about this superhero business, Chat Noir lulled her into a sense of complacency that had her craving his presence. _Ugh_.

They like to go on patrols because that’s what all the comic book heroes do, but never once has that actually yielded anything of value. When Ladybug points this out, Chat Noir looks absolutely devastated.

“What?” Ladybug crosses her arms defensively. “I’m not _wrong_.”

Chat Noir pouts without an ounce of shame. His lips wobble and she knows he’s doing this on purpose. “But Ladybug!”

“Relax.” She smiles, and after a moment, he does the same. She knew bringing up cutting back on patrols would send him into a mood. “I’m serious, Chat Noir. These patrols are kind of pointless. It’s not like we actually find people who are on the verge of becoming akuma. We basically just react when needed.”

“But patrols make us sound _legit_ , Ladybug!”

“I know.” It’s true. Patrols really do make them sound like real superheroes. Not to say they _aren’t_ real superheroes of course. “I was just thinking–” She pauses, rethinking what she’s about to propose because it would make this silly cat’s whole night and she will never ever be able to take it back. “Why don’t we just reduce patrols?”

Chat Noir looks miserable. “By how much?”

“Maybe just twice a week?”

“Ladybug!”

She understands his whining considering she’s splitting their usual number of meetings in half. But then she takes a breath, twists her lips, and looks away as she proposes, “And then, you know, on the other two days we normally would have patrolled, we can just, like, hangout?”

“I–what?”

“Hangout,” she repeats. She meets his confused eyes and feels her face burn. “You know, like get ice cream. Or go rollerblading. Whatever.”

“Rollerblading.”

“Listen, if I was able to make magical macarons and cheese to give us ice skates, I will find a way to give us rollerblades.”

Chat Noir considers her idea with a slow smile. “Of course you will, my lady. You’re the smartest girl I know.”

Ladybug shrugs. “I like the challenge.”

“I gotta say though,” Chat Noir continues. He leans against his staff, his favourite pose for flirting and Ladybug manages not to roll her eyes too obviously. “It kinda sounds like you’re trying to get me out on a date.”

“ _Ugh_.”

“Which, for the record, I am absolutely down for.”

“Why do you ruin everything?”

“Just listen to what your heart wants, my lady.”

“You know what? I changed my mind. We’re back on the old patrol schedule.”

“What?” Chat Noir’s stupid smarmy grin falls. “No! No take backs!”

“Nope. No rollerblades.”

“Ice cream!”

“You’re lactose intolerant!”

“No one who’s lactose intolerant actually cares about being lactose intolerant!”

“Nope.” Ladybug taps the tip of his nose and winks. “I decided I can’t possibly lead you into a stomachache.” She sighs dramatically. “And I realized I couldn’t possibly be wise enough to find a spell to give us rollerblades.”

Chat Noir tries giving her the cat eyes they both know she’s weak against, so she turns her face away. He moves around her, trying to follow her, so just shoves her hand in his face.

“Ladybuuuug,” he whines.

Ladybug musses his hair before pulling out her yoyo and waving goodbye. She’s more amused by his pouting than she should be. And honestly, he’s being silly considering they’re literally still going to see each other the same number of times. “See you for patrol Tuesday night, kitty cat?”

“Ugh. _Whatever_.”


	4. babysitting

The night Master Fu goes out to meet Marianna for a date, Ladybug and Chat Noir volunteer to watch the kwami. They decide it’d be nice to let Tikki and Plagg join the rest of their little friends, so she gives Chat Noir a copy she’d made of his mask and tells him to wear it before he transforms. She does the same, so when they both drop their transformations at Master Fu’s house, neither actually sees the other’s real identity.

“I’ve never babysat before.” Chat Noir looks at Plagg joining the other kwami. “Have you?”

Ladybug nods. “Plenty of times. It’s a lot of playing and running around for the most part.” She nudges Chat Noir with a grin. “I imagine you’d be quite good at it considering you’re basically a toddler.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you since you’re so far away and short because you’re basically the size of a toddler.”

“I’m still growing!”

“I really don’t think you’re going to grow any taller, Ladybug.”

The closest thing she can do to bring him down to her literal level is push him over. He lands on pillow and just grins up at her.

“So that’s what it’s like down here, huh?”

“Chat Noir!”

He grabs her wrist and pulls her down to sit with him. Ladybug takes in his plain t-shirt and shorts and figures he too was lounging around before transforming to come here. Ladybug herself is garbed in pyjamas. This feels strangely like a sleepover party, and she really doesn’t mind it.

“So what else do you do when you babysit?”

Ladybug taps her chin. “Well, if it’s at nighttime like this, normally I have to put the kid to sleep.”

“How do you do that?”

“I usually read a story–”

Ladybug nearly falls backwards when a number of kwami rush over to her and buzz around eagerly.

“A story!” cries the fox. 

“I love stories!” the monkey declares.

“Is it a _love_ story?” asks the bee.

Ladybug laughs. “Well, I normally read a book so…”

There’s a resounding whine that even Chat Noir joins in on. Ladybug frowns at him, but he just shrugs. 

“But you’re _Ladybug_ ,” he points out. “Can’t you just create a story for us?”

“Telling stories isn’t that simple, Chat Noir. There’s planning and…and…”

“And?”

“Shut up.”

Chat Noir scoots over to sit beside her and the kwami all come near him. Plagg floats over to him and paws around on his hair before plopping down. It’s an adorable display of possession that nearly makes Ladybug coo.

“Alright, my little kwami friends,” Chat Noir sagely begins, “As your co-babysitter, I am more than happy to tell you a story.”

“A love story?” the bee asks again.

“A love story,” Chat Noir confirms.

Ladybug audibly scoffs, making Chat Noir stick his tongue out at her. “I’ll have you know I have literally thousands of follows for my Naruto fanfiction tumblr.”

“I’m sorry, your _what_?”

“Hush!” the fox orders, planting a hand on Ladybug’s mouth. Tikki and the other kwami settle on and around Ladybug and Chat Noir, eager to listen to their bedtime story. 

The bee nudges Chat Noir’s knee after a happy twirl. “Now tell us your story!”

Chat Noir grins. “Once upon a time…”


	5. lost

“Trust me, he says. I have night vision, he says. It’ll be super cool, he says--”

“I can hear you, you know.”

“Right, because in addition to being able to see in the dark, you can also hear in the dark?”

“I can hear in the light too!”

“And yet you didn’t _hear_ me say this was a bad idea!” Ladybug groans. He imagines she’d be pulling at her pigtails if he wasn’t holding her hand to guide her through the darkness. “Just because you can see in the catacombs doesn’t mean you know where you’re going.”

“Yes, well--” Chat Noir looks sufficiently bashful, not that Ladybug can see that. “I know that now.”

“Ugh.”

Chat Noir turns to face her. He puts both hands on her shoulders. “Ladybug, can I just say from the bottom of my heart...my bad.”

“ _Ugh_.”

The afternoon had started off with Chat Noir talking about how sometimes he liked to explore the catacombs beneath the city. After Ladybug expressed her worry and that he shouldn’t do that, _especially_ alone, Chat Noir waved off her concerns and invited her to come along. This lead them down one tunnel and then another and then a few turns later, they lost their damn way.

They’d only been down there for about two hours so far, but that was more than enough time for Chat Noir to worry that Ladybug might bludgeon him for leading them down this path.

“I just wanted you to think I was cool,” he admits.

He thinks he sounds sympathetic enough because Ladybug does that thing where she sighs, secretly accepting his apology while maintaining a strict face.

“Chat Noir...” In the dark, he can see the small smile that usually accompanies that tone. “Kitty, I’ll _never_ think you’re cool.”

His face falls, and when the silence stretches, Ladybug cackles.

“Meowch.”

Ladybug ignores him in favour of calling for a lucky charm. A piece of paper falls on the ground because she has no idea where it’s landing in the dark. Chat Noir picks it up and breathes a sigh of relief.

“Is it a map?” Ladybug asks.

“It’s a map.”

“Good.” Ladybug slips her hand back in his. “Now get us the heck out of here.”


	6. lucky charm

When Chat Noir presents to her a black, velvet box, Ladybug’s first instinct is to panic. He’s down on bended knee, looking up at her like she’s his world, and wearing a shit-eating grin. After a moment, the grin clues her into the fact that he’s not proposing, just enjoying watching her panic, so she shoves his shoulder and he quickly loses balance.

“How dare you.”

“Sorry,” he says between laughs. “I couldn’t help myself.”

“Hmph!”

“This _is_ for you though.” Chat Noir waves the box in front of her. She doesn’t take it, only eyeing it suspiciously, so Chat Noir holds his other hand up in surrender. “I promise there’s no diamond ring in it.”

Ladybug purses her lips and gingerly reaches for the box.

“Although I can’t say anything about rubies.”

“Chat Noir!”

“Okay, I’m done now. I swear.” 

He tosses the box at her because he knows she’ll catch it automatically. When she does, she opens it with only a minimal amount of worry.

“A bracelet?”

It’s rather crude, frankly, made up of mismatched beads. There’s a black cat head in the mix of red and green and what Ladybug is fairly certain is a little golden bell. She turns to Chat Noir and finds his cheeks dusted with pink.

“A lucky charm, actually. Sort of. I don't know.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I made one for a friend's birthday and, uh, had some leftover beads and I thought…” His face twists into a cringe. “This was dumb. I mean, you’re _Ladybug_. Why would _you_ need a lucky charm—”

“I love it.” Ladybug places the bracelet back into the box and grins. “Thank you, Chat Noir."


	7. bad luck charm

Ladybug hates when Chat Noir is sad. He’s her friend and she always wants him to be happy, but there’s just something so tragic about such a warm, vivacious person looking so forlorn. So when he shows up to patrol (movie night) with a deep frown that not even the promise of watching two movies will help, Ladybug holds him in place by wrapping her arms around him.

He wasn’t prepared for the embrace though, so his arms are caught between hers. Eventually he shimmies them out and returns her hug. They stay like that for a good minute before Chat Noir breaks the silence.

“Not that I’m complaining, but why are we hugging?”

Ladybug looks up at him, keeping contact by jutting her chin into his chest. “You’re sad.”

“I’m fine—”

“You’re a liar. A liar who’s sad.”

Chat Noir shakes his head. “I just had a bad day,” he tells her with a gentle smile. That only makes her hug him harder though. “My father—” He sighs. “Things just…didn’t go how I wanted them to. I’m just…unlucky. Or something.”

Ladybug somehow manages to hold him tighter. “Then we’ll share my luck.”

“Huh?”

Her cheeks redden as she considers the utter absurdity of what she’s saying. “Via bodily contact.”

Chat Noir blinks. “You’ll give me your good luck by hugging?”

“Or cuddling. Whatever.” She lowers her head because he’s getting too tall and it gets annoying having to crane her neck all the time. “Is this helping?”

Chat Noir smiles faintly and rests his chin over her head. “Oh, bug. This helps a lot.”


	8. homework

One evening they both bring their homework to their chosen rooftop because Ladybug has an essay due next week and Chat Noir desperately needs to catch up on some studying. But for the most part, Ladybug finds herself doodling in the margins. She’s designed a dress, designed some winter outfits for them, and then drew a fairly crude version of her favourite kitty cat. 

“Are you actually working?” Ladybug asks as she starts sketching the Parisian skyline, albeit rather lazily. Chat Noir doesn’t answer though, so she glances his way.

Ever the nerd, Chat Noir is bent over his homework, his tongue sticking out as he scribbles notes diligently. Ladybug is impressed, always having assumed her partner was more of a class clown, but then she leans closer to take a look at what he’s doing and instead finds him writing ridiculous things like--

“‘Mr. Chaton Bug’?” Ladybug reads. “‘Chat Noir Bug’--okay, what are you doing?”

Chat Noir looks up at her with wide eyes, as if he just noticed that she was beside him and reading the ridiculous things in on the bottom half of his own notebook. He tries to cover it, but Ladybug yanks it away from him.

“Give it back!”

“No way!” Ladybug cackles. She huddles over the stolen notebook, maneuvering around every time Chat Noir makes a grab for it. “Did you seriously play M.A.S.H. one page’s worth of times and only put my name down?”

Chat Noir doesn’t look even remotely ashamed. “You know you’re the only one for me, my lady.”

“You’re such a dork,” Ladybug teases, returning the notebook to him.

“A dork that, according to the infinite wisdom of this fortunate-telling game, you will live in a mansion in Paris with. And have three kids with. And--” He glances back down at the page, “And I’ll be a fashion designer.” He snorts. “Actually, let’s say you can be the designer. I refuse to work in fashion.”

Ladybug shakes her head. “And the car?”

“No car.” Chat Noir grins. “I guess we’ll be running across the rooftops well into our married life, bugaboo.”

“ _Ugh_.” 

As he laughs, Ladybug considers the future his absurd game predicted and tries not to think about how she honestly wouldn’t mind it. In fact, she decides with a smile, she might even look forward to it.


	9. a helping hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains spoilers for the Season 3 finale.

After the disaster with Miracle Queen, Ladybug knows one thing with utmost certainty: they’re out of allies.

Master Fu is gone and all the people she’d chosen before have been unmasked.

At first she panics. She stares at the sky, heavy and choking under the weight of her new responsibilities, and only really remembering to unclench her jaw when her mouth starts to ache or to breathe when her chest starts to hurt. She closes her eyes. She inhales, exhales, and repeats. And when she finally finds some semblance of calm, she looks at the partner she still has by her side.

Chat Noir has been uncharacteristically silent. He sits to her left with one thigh pressed loosely against hers. Their contact is scant at best, but she feels him like her lifeline.

“You know you don’t have to protect me, right?”

“What?” Her voice is barely over a whisper.

“Whatever burdens you’re bearing, whatever it is you think you have to do on your own…” Chat Noir sighs softly. “I’m here for you. I’m here _with_ you. For all of it.”

When Ladybug sits up to join him, Chat Noir wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her into his side. Had this been any other day, she might have pushed him away with a finger upon his nose. But right now she needs this, so Ladybug wastes no time slumping against him, and he holds her up because that’s just what he does. “I’ve got you, bug. You’re not alone.”

Ladybug nods. “I’m not,” she realizes with a slow smile. “I’m not.”

She closes her eyes, inhales, exhales, and remembers that while they might not have any allies right now, they’ll always have each other. 

And as the new Guardian – well, they’re playing by _her_ rules now.

“Chat Noir, there are some things I need to share with you.”


	10. disguises

“This is for you,” Ladybug tells him, presenting Chat Noir with a simple white box. 

It’s too big to be a cake, although it can be a really big cake, he supposes. But then he takes the box from her and judging by the weight, it’s not a cake. It’s too light to be a cake. It could be croissants though. Ladybug knew he was partial to pain au chocolat. Did Ladybug bring him pastries? He was about 92% sure she had a part-time job at a bakery. Or what if they were choquettes? She also knew how much he loved _those_ –

“I know you think you’re having an internal monologue, but I need to know I can hear everything you’re saying.”

“Huh?”

Ladybug just shakes her head, hiding the fond smile on her lips. “You’re so silly.”

“So…it’s not food?”

“Will you be upset if it’s not food?”

“Immensely.”

“Hmph!” Ladybug grabs the box. “Then give it back–”

“Now, let’s not be hasty.” The box is light, so Chat Noir lifts it high above Ladybug’s head and manages not to look too delighted by her irritated pout. “You gave this present. This present is mine.”

“You won’t even open it.”

“Well I’m opening it now.” Chat Noir lifts the top, pulls away the tissue paper, and blinks when he finds a black leather catsuit, sans he belt but decorated with green piping.

“I realize it’s kind of redundant as a disguise considering your usual get-up, but in the unlikely event that you are ever separated from Plagg or your ring again, I want you to have something better than a banana costume. This, at least, is armoured where it needs to be.” Ladybug looks at the tips of her fingers as if she has visible nail beds to convey any level of nonchalance with. “I will miss calling you Banana Noir though…”

Chat Noir looks at her with more than the usual amount of awe in his eyes. “Did you make this?”

“Maybe.”

“My lady!” he gushes as he holds the catsuit against his current catsuit. “This is going to fit me _perfectly_.” Chat Noir waggles his eyebrows. “I didn’t realize you were paying so much attention to my meow-del physique.”

“Contain yourself, kitty.” She shakes her head, but he sees the fond smile she tries to hide. 


	11. vigilante

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU - canon divergence

Once upon a time, Marinette turned down the Ladybug miraculous. At first she gave it away, sneaking it into Alya’s backpack. She soon had a change of heart, but in the mix of everything with Stoneheart, she failed to get it back and help out. Chat Noir managed to take care of things on his own, before fading into obscurity as well. 

And a few weeks later, a new superhero arrived: Mister Bug.

He does the best he can, Marinette thinks a year into his defence of Paris. He saves the innocent citizens, takes down every vicious akuma, and purifies Hawk Moth’s butterflies like she was once meant to.

But then things get harder. Hawk Moth strikes more often, more effectively, and any paparazzi image of Paris’ local superhero could show that he was utterly exhausted. 

He’s so worn down that Marinette wonders how Hawk Moth hasn’t tapped into Mister Bug’s own negative emotions at this point. Surely he must be done with all of this? Worried? Frustrated?

Then Marinette wonders how Hawk Moth has never come for her _own_ negative emotions. Since turning her back on the earrings and Chat Noir and fate, Marinette has stewed away in guilt and anxiety. Which, she thinks glumly, is the opposite of what should have happened by denying the role of Ladybug.

So Marinette decides she owes him something. This superhero who bears the brunt of her abandonment. 

When people can really see her, Marinette decides to be better. She first stands up to Chloe. Then she starts standing up to anyone else who might try to bully her. And after that she stands up for the ones who can’t stand up for themselves.

Then she moves onto crime. Living in an apartment overlooking one of Paris’ most frequent tourist attraction gives her a great view for people watching. She manages the crowds, practicing sleights of hand by pickpocketing the pickpocketers and returning things to their rightful owners.

And then she moves onto the mission she was truly meant for.

Marinette suits up in the leathers she spent months designing. She has padding in all the necessary places, although she knows it will never compare to whatever Tikki gave her. She dons a black sweater and pulls the hood up. There’s a pair of cat eats on the hood that make her smile at her reflection. She didn’t know Chat Noir very long, but he was kind to her and believed in her, and Marinette is vaguely positive he’s the one doing all the work right now, so he deserve the homage. 

Marinette speeds to where Reflekdoll wreaks havoc. Mister Bug calls for his lucky charm and leaps higher and higher upon the Eiffel Tower. He nears the edge, holding what looks like a large mirror in front of him, and then scowls when his lucky charm doesn’t do anything he intended. Marinette climbs onto a nearby rooftop, lithe and yet so full of upper body strength. She watches him evade Reflekdoll, whizzing by in blurs of red. Reflekdoll doesn’t moves its legs too much, opting to twist its head around instead. That’s when Marinette figures out what the mirror is for.

“Mister Bug!” she calls when he lands beside her. 

He huddles in close to her because there isn’t a lot of room for hiding here.

“You have to get out of here,” he tells her. “It’s not safe.”

“I know.”

“What are you _wearing_?” He frowns, considering the padding on her knees and the mask on her face. “Oh god, oh no, you’re one of those vigilante types.”

“What? No!”

“Look, I know it seems really cool playing the hero, but it’s incredibly dangerous and the only reason I generally make it out of things okay is because of literal _magic_ –”

“Ugh, will you just _listen_ to me?”

Somehow Marinette convinces Mister Bug to see that the mirror is meant for the door to Reflekdoll. She tells him to use his yoyo as a tripwire and when Reflekdoll falls, Mister Bug leaps onto its head. He opens the hatch, jumps inside, and soon releases the amok. 

After he’s reversed all the damage, he lands beside her and grins.

“Maybe _you_ were my lucky charm,” he teases. “Thanks for the assist…um….” He pauses, waiting for her to supply her name. When she says nothing, he shifts awkwardly. “Er, who are you exactly?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Marinette shakes her head. “Very, very sorry.” 

“What do you mean?” He’s a nice guy, so he rests a comforting hand on her shoulder and leans in to be at her level. “If it hadn’t been for you, I would have taken way longer to figure out what to do. You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Taking a step away from him, Marinette tugs up the hood that had fallen. His eyes flicker to the black cat ears and then to the domino mask that has miraculously stayed in place. There’s something akin to recognition in his eyes, so she gets on her bike to go home.

“Wait,” he finally breathes. “I know you–”

Marinette rushes away, unwilling to hear what else he might say.

The next day, Marinette discovers a familiar looking box in her backpack. This time she finds a ring.


	12. tears

Chat Noir is pacing when Ladybug arrives at their meeting spot.

Ladybug furrows her brow to ask if something of the Hawk Moth variety has happened. Chat Noir shakes his head just once to say no. Ladybug cocks her head ever so slightly for further explanation. Chat Noir cringes to convey that this is personal, not professional, so it’s cool. Then the side of his mouth twitches and he shakes a hand to tell her not to worry about it. 

“Of course I’m going to worry,” Ladybug presses, done with the silence. Their communicating with facial tics and body language is quick, but words are certainly more effective. 

“It’s fine.”

“You look like you’re going to cry.”

“I’m not going to _cry_.” He pauses. “I might die though.”

“ _What_?”

Chat Noir sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I was wearing a sweater today that my father recently des…ignated…as mine. Right. Natha…nanny added it to my closet and Father told me to wear it today for a reason that has nothing to do with brand publicity, nor am I a model.”

“What?”

“Anyway, I was playing basketball with my friends after class while wearing the sweater and I fell and now there’s a rip in it.”

Ladybug purses her lips.

“No, _two_ rips,” Chat Noir corrects. His ears droop. “Father is going to be furious.”

“Your father is going to be so angry you think–” She tries not to scream. “Over a ripped sweater? I’m sure it was an accident.”

Chat Noir snorts. “Father doesn’t believe in accidents.”

“What–”

“Anyway, please do me the decency of a one year mourning period before searching for a new partner after I die.”

“Chat Noir.”

“Hawk Moth can suck it.”

“ _Chat Noir._ ” Ladybug sighs. Chat Noir’s asshole of a father is a subject that has been alluded to on more than one occasion, but immediately shut down the second he realizes he’s said anything. His behaviour makes her worry, but she doesn’t know what to do. For now, she can offer him this. “Give me your sweater, kitty.”

“Huh?”

Ladybug considers the rooftop they’re on and the darkened section where he can hide while she works. She heads there first, ignoring his look of confusion, and drops her transformation in the shadows so she can rummage through her bag for her sewing kit. When she has it, she calls for her spots and rushes back to him.

Waving the set of needles in front of him, she holds out her other hand. “Hurry up.”

Chat Noir blinks. Then he smirks. “I didn’t realize you were so eager to get me out of my clothes, my lady.”

“What was that? You don’t want me to mend the tears in your sweater?”

Chat Noir makes a show of pouting, but Ladybug catches his grateful smile as he rushes away to do as she asked.


	13. hairstyles

After Ladybug’s cure manages to get out whatever sticky gunk their latest akuma had been spewed into his hair, she ruffles his blond locks and suggests he maybe consider a haircut. Chat Noir later goes home and books an appointment with his stylist to demand something shorter.

When he shows up to their next patrol with a crew cut, he can’t understand why Ladybug looks so surprised.

“Oh!” she exclaims. “Wow.”

There’s never been much personal space between the two of them, so Ladybug is quick to bring one hand up to his head and run her fingers through his freshly cut hair.

Chat Noir barely fights back the urge to press into her palm and purr. “Do you like guys with shorter hair, my lady?”

“Hm?” Ladybug frowns. “I mean, I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.”

“What.”

“Is this about what I said the other day?”

“Um.”

Ladybug takes a step back and grins sheepishly. “Oh! I just meant that, you know, if you had shorter hair, it might be easier to deal with whatever weird goopy stuff akuma throw on you.”

“I thought you were telling me to get a haircut!”

“I would never force you to change your look for me.”

“You made me get rid of my bell one time!”

“Because it kept _jingling_ and telling every akuma we were fighting where we were hiding!”

“Still though!”

Ladybug pinches the bridge of her nose in exasperation. 

“Dragon Ball Z didn’t adequately prepare me for this moment, my lady.” 

“Kitty, I’ve already told you I don’t understand your never ending anime references.” Chat Noir pouts, so Ladybug nears him again and brings her hand back to his face. Her thumb is on his cheek, and when she smiles, he does too. “It’s a nice look on you though.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Does it make me look handsome? Does it make you want to take me out tonight?”

“Don’t push your luck.”


	14. sick day

Chat Noir’s had a bit of a cold this past week. He’s stubbornly refused her every time she insisted he go home and get better, so Ladybug’s made sure they moved slowly on patrols and has ended them earlier for his sake. He’s back at it again, showing up with a red nose and glum disposition and an envelope for her.

“What’s that?”

“For you.” He waves it around until she takes it.

She sighs and grabs it, knowing this is just going to lead to one of his dramatic moments. “Let me guess – your last will and testament?”

Chat Noir pouts, meaning she’s right. He sits down on the roof, probably because he’s exhausted and should _not_ be out here right now. He lays back and stares up at the sky. 

“You’re such a clever bug,” he practically slurs. 

“I’d say I’m slightly above average, at best.”

Chat Noir laughs, which only makes him cough. “Above average at best,” he repeats incredulously. “You’re snot very funny, my lady.”

Ladybug sits down beside him. 

“That,” Chat Noir says, pointing at the envelope, “is my list of possible successors.”

“Oh for the love of–”

“Let me finish!”

She purses her lips, looking positively cross.

“Thank you.” Chat Noir clears his throat. “As I was saying, that is a list of my possible successors. Or well, it’s not a list so much as…a single name. Plagg is a needy little monster and will require plenty of patience and belly rubs and cheese. Also, I need to make sure whoever takes over for me after I die–”

“You have a _cold_.”

“–will be smart enough and strong enough to support my lady.”

“Chat Noir.”

“Ladybug.”

“You’re being ridiculous, kitty.” Ladybug swats his forehead with the envelope, but his eyes are closed so he barely notices. Her partner desperately needs to go home and rest. “I’m not replacing you, alright? Because you’re going to get over this cold once you finally start taking care of yourself.” She opens one pocket by his hip so she can slip the envelope back in. “I don’t want your successor.”

“Because you want me?” he asks, pushing her hand away.

“I mean…technically, yes.”

He grins, looking up at her like she’s the moon and the stars and everything lovely in the world, so Ladybug looks away.

“Aw, bugaboo!” 

“Shut up!”

After a sufficient amount of cooing, he relents and takes the envelope back himself. “Fine, fine,” he says. “But I still think Marinette Dupain-Cheng would have been a great successor.” 


	15. animal tendencies

As Paris gets colder, Ladybug gets touchier. 

The first time she presses against Chat Noir’s side, he almost falls off the roof they’re perched on. She doesn’t act like it meant anything though, so Chat Noir says nothing. Eventually she starts doing every time the sunsets and she starts to shiver. Soon after that, she starts leaning her head upon his shoulder. And not to long after _that_ , she literally rubs her cheek against his suit.

“How are you so _warm_ ,” she wonders, burrowing herself closer as if she can somehow steal his heat. “You’re like a furnace.”

“What are you talking about, bugaboo?”

Her eyes are half-lidded when she raises her head. She’s too out of it to scold him about stupid nicknames.

“ _Cold_!” she whines. “Tired.”

“Not a very clear answer, but okay.”

Ladybug just whimpers and presses flush against him. Her arms twine around his middle and she presses her into against his collar.

“I’m cold,” she tells him miserably. “ _All_ the time. But you. _You_ –” She glares up at him but just looks adorable. “How are you always so hot?”

Chat Noir grins, a stupid joke at the ready, but Ladybug just whines again, making him frown. He wraps his arms around her, so she takes that as a sign that they’re going to cuddle.

“I’ve got you, my little snugglebug.”

“Ugh, that one’s terrible.” She sighs. “But you’re keeping me warm, so fine.”


	16. akuma

It’s no secret that Chat Noir’s father is an asshole.

Ladybug doesn’t know who he is, but she knows she wants to punch him in his stupid face. Ladybug keeps most of her comments to herself because it makes Chat Noir uncomfortable when she trash talks the man that he didn’t really mean to bring up in the first place. But really, when Ladybug got her hands on that pile of crap, they were going to have _words_. She obviously was going to take Chat Noir away from him. Adopt him or something. Okay, that probably wouldn’t work. She supposes she’ll have to marry him or something. _Whatever_. 

Ladybug waves at her partner, but he doesn’t notice her. His shoulders are slumped and his lips are drawn into a frown. He looks miserable in the way she _knows_ is his father’s fault, and to her shock and horror, there’s a purple butterfly making its way towards him.

“Not on my watch!”

In the next second, she catches it with her yoyo.

Chat Noir looks up when her it whizzes by his head. He blinks. “Ladybug?”

She’s busy purifying the akuma. When she finishes sending it off, she smiles at him. “Hey kitty.”

“What…what just happened?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” 

And with that said, Ladybug throws her arms around him and smothers him with the tightest, warmest hug she can muster. They tip over and end up cuddling and Chat Noir doesn’t do anything to squirm out of her arms. Instead, he releases a deep sigh and burrows closer. Ladybug keeps one hand wrapped around his body while the other cradles his neck, her fingers playing with his hair.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, unsure of what else to say.

Ladybug presses her lips against his forehead. “I’ve got you, kitty.”


	17. oblivio

Ladybug and Chat Noir meet up a few days after their fight with Oblivio. Neither mention Alya’s complete lack of chill that resulted in their kiss being widely publicized. In fact, neither really says anything all. Any conversation is stiff and awkward and so patrol going rather smoothly, if not tensely. When they’re finally done for the evening, Ladybug falters.

“So, um, about the other day…” She sees the way Chat Noir stiffens, readying himself for the worst. She clears her throat. “You didn’t happen to have any, um, selfies on your phone, did you?”

“What?”

“You know, that we might have taken together while we weren’t exactly in our right minds because somehow we decided that it would be cute to document what we were calling a date.”

“Oh.” Chat Noir wears his most innocent smile. “No. No, I did not.”

Ladybug takes his words at face value and nods. “Great.”

“Yup.”

“Wonderful.”

“And _you_ didn’t happen to have any notes with random facts about me you might have learned during that time, right?”

Ladybug’s eyes widen, but she shakes her head. “Not at all!”

“Great!”

“Really great!”

“This is all _super_ great because neither of us have any evidence whatsoever about who the other really is,” Chat Noir says as he nods wildly.

“Yes,” Ladybug agrees, “especially because we were told our miraculous would be taken away if we were ever found out.”

“Exactly.”

“Right.”

(The next day, Adrien and Marinette go on a date. When an akuma attacks in the middle of it, they look at each other before silently going their separate ways.)


	18. a ticking clock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Includes spoilers for Miracle Queen.

“I’m afraid,” Ladybug admits, “that one day I’m going to forget about all of this.”

Ladybug doesn’t tell him everything, but she did tell him about Master Fu and her new role and that the apparent rule that when she passes on her duties to her successor, she’ll lose all her memories. 

Her fingers twitch and Chat Noir takes her hand in his. Then her face crumples, so he pulls her close so she can hide her worries upon his shoulder.

“You’ve proven Master wrong on other things before, you know.” He presses his lips against the crown of her head. “You defeated Feast.”

“With _you_.”

“You used a handful of miraculous at once, which apparently is supposed to drive people crazy.”

That has her looking at him suspiciously. “Wait, how do you know about that?”

Chat Noir just presses her head against him once more. “The kwami like to gossip, my lady. They get bored when all they do is hang out in a box all day.”

That makes her giggle.

Feeling like he’s making progress, Chat Noir shifts so he can rest his chin on her head. “And even if you do forget about all of this…” He pauses, and he can feel the weight of her worry in their silence. So many of their memories have been made with their masks on and so many will one day be forgotten.

“You have to remind me about all of it,” she mumbles into his collar. “Every single day.”

“Yeah?”

She nods. “Twenty, fifty years from now, when we’re old and I’ve passed down the miracle box for whatever reason, you better be there reminding me of all these things.” She shakes in his arms. “My graceless entrance, every silly joke on patrol, the times you wore a banana costume…”

Chat Noir snorts and Ladybug can’t help but laugh as well.

“Don’t worry,” he assures her, “I was there for all the fun stuff. _And_ the less fun stuff. I’ll make sure I tell you everything.”

“But you never saw it from my point of view…” Ladybug pulls back a fraction so she can look up at him. She smiles, but the tears in her eyes make it so bittersweet. “You’re my inspiration, you know. Without you, I wouldn’t be the Ladybug I am now. You’re _my_ hero, Chat Noir.” 

Ladybug nestles back into his embrace.

“Please don’t let me forget that.”


	19. identity reveal

The decision to share their identities is made by Mademoiselle Guardian herself, and Chat Noir is positively reeling. At the moment, she’s running through the rules about knowing. Pacing and slapping her palm with every pint. She seems to finish though, expecting something from him, so Chat Noir just nods.

“Yes. Right. Absolutely.”

“Did you listen to a thing I said?!”

He makes an educated guess. “Something, something, don’t tell anyone anything ever?”

“I–” Ladybug’s face twists into the cutest pout. “I mean. You’re not wrong.” She sighs. “I know I might potentially be putting us in danger–” She shakes her head. “No, I _know_ I’m putting both of us and the people we love in danger.”

She goes quiet and Chat Noir knows that in five seconds, she’s going to begin spiralling, so he opts to distract her.

“So what changed exactly?”

“We have no more allies,” Ladybug mumbles morosely. “It’s just the two of us. We don’t even have Master Fu anymore. And if I’m supposed to be the Guardian now–” A fact she shared with him one stress-filled, emotional evening. “–then I will do something Master Fu couldn’t.” She smiles at him. “Share the burden.”

“I’d carry the world for you, my lady.”

She touches his face and Chat Noir leans into her palm. “You know I’d never let it come to that, kitty.” She pulls her hand back to continue. “Also…in the event that we’re going to continue outsourcing the miraculous to some trustworthy people, I’m going to need a wider social circle.” Then she huffs. “Which, frankly, is shrinking as it is. Moonlighting–”

“Honestly, it’s more like daylighting.”

“–as a superhero has really hurt a lot of my relationships.”

Chat Noir knows that’s a sore spot, so he tries to lighten the mood with a joke. “Good thing you have your most important relationship right here, don’t you think?”

She grins the way he hoped she would, shaking her head and refusing to look him in the eyes. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

Her affection is coming quite easily tonight, and that makes him nervous. Not only is Ladybug touching him and saying sweet things, but if everything goes according to plan, she’s about to tell him her real name soon.

“All those people,” Chat Noir considers, “that were chosen in the past. Are they friends of yours?”

Ladybug’s face goes stony, but he thinks that’s just instinct. Keeping her mouth shut has always been her go-to. After a moment though, she nods. “Yeah.”

Chat Noir ignores how dangerously close their social circles must be then because he wants her reveal to happen on her terms.

“I’m going to rely on you to start picking some of your own friends, Chat Noir.”

“Yeah, you’re going to find we’re going to have a bit of a similar problem there.”

“What?”

“Er, nothing. _So_.” Chat Noir leans in and Ladybug places a finger on his nose to push him back a few inches. “How are we doing this? Detransform back-to-back and turn around on three? We make some guesses first because that’s fun? We–”

Ladybug just shakes her head and tells him she’ll go first. She has to or else she’ll lose her nerve. And before he can process that Ladybug is going to share her most important secret with him, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is standing there in front of him.

She fidgets under his stare, clearly unnerved by the way he blatantly gapes. Then she scowls. “I swear, if ‘Princess’ makes it onto your roster of stupid nicknames–”

“I _knew_ it!” Chat Noir drops his own transformation because he needs to have some words with his kwami. When Plagg zips to the side, Adrien whips his head around and glares. “You lied to me!”

Plagg doesn’t look even remotely apologetic. “Would you rather Master Fu have taken your miraculous away?”

“Liar! Liar who _lies_!”

Marinette giggles, reminding him of the much bigger revelation here. Adrien looks back at her because why look at Plagg when he can stare at _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ , Paris’ beloved superheroine, the latest Guardian, his favourite partner herself. Damn, she’s so cool. She’s blushing because apparently he said all of that out loud and she’s so freaking cute like that, and Adrien is sure he’s blushing too.

“Wow,” he breathes. “Just–I–wow. I mean…of course.”

“What?”

“You,” he says, still not particular coherent. “You’re Ladybug. Of _course_ you’re Ladybug.”

She looks shy when she tries to tease him. “Well right now I’m just an _Everyday_ Ladybug.”

“Oh _god_.”

Her laugh is like the gentle chime of bells, he waxes poetic in his mind. One glance at Plagg tells Adrien that he’s dreading all the lovesick moaning that’s to come later on, and Adrien grins at him to confirm that that’s definitely happening. 

“Originally I planned a team building exercise for us to do after this–”

“Ugh, bugaboo!”

“–because I figured we’d be a little off after, well, _this_ , and that a little recalibrating might be in order.”

Adrien pouts at the prospect of work so soon after their reveal. “ _Fine_.”

They both transform back and head over to Marinette’s place. She makes him wait on the balcony while she quickly cleans her room. When she invites him inside, Adrien starts to reel all over again because he’s inside _Ladybug’s_ bedroom.

“You’ve been here before,” Marinette reminds him.

That’s true. He’s _been_ inside Ladybug’s bedroom _before_.

“So what’s the exercise?” he asks, fully expecting her to make him learn all the kwami’s names, likes, dislikes, powers, and so on. That’d be a good thing. That way he can start paying more attention to their friends and see which ones would be best suited to which kwami. Also, there’s enough footage of the two of them online that they can probably study their own fighting and improve. Or him at least. Ladybug still needs to start off. He should teach her. Her fencing was pretty good. And they can workout together. Oh god, he can go to the gym with Ladybug–

Something hard and plastic lands in his lap and Adrien finds a controller. He looks up and finds Marinette turning on Ultimate Mecha Strike. 

She winks. “I figured we could play as partners this time.”


	20. crushes

“Did you mean what you said yesterday?” Chat Noir asks her. “About Marinette?”

Ladybug blinks. Anytime she hears her name come out of her mouth, she’s always a little bit paranoid. Then she thinks back to last night when he pressed her about who she had a crush on and then she decided to kill a few birds with one stone and claim she had a thing for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Among other things, it allowed her to use all the baking puns she had bottled inside and also helped reinforce the idea that Ladybug and Marinette Dupain-Cheng were two different people.

“Um. Yes?” 

“I thought so.” 

Chat Noir releases a deep sigh. She watches the way his expressions change, going from put out to even more put out to pained and then accepting. He sighs again, and when he looks up at her, he’s smiling sadly.

“I can set you guys up,” he offers. “Marinette is actually a really good friend of mine.”

“What.”

“I only want you to be happy, my lady.”

“ _What_.”

“And Marinette too.” He laughs, but the fake joy doesn’t reflect in his eyes. “Marinette’s amazing, Ladybug. If there’s anyone who could make you happy when this humble alleycat could not, it would definitely be her.”

“ _What_?!”

Chat Noir gives her a hug and when he pulls back, it feels like a goodbye. “Make sure you’re free for lunch tomorrow.” Then he launches off in the direction of her home, likely to tell Marinette the same thing. 

Watching his retreating back, Ladybug curses her luck.


	21. a rose

Ladybug accepts his flower gracefully, a slight flush on her cheek as she plays with its stem. “I love it,” she tells him. Then she bites her lip, and after much consideration, she asks, “Although next time, can you maybe get me a plant?”

“Huh?”

She shrugs. “I appreciate the roses, but I’d prefer a gift I can actually keep alive.”

Soon after that, Chat Noir shows up with a pilea, about seven inches tall and with so much room for growth. Ladybug lights up when she explains that it’s also known as a Chinese money plant and that she’s always wanted one of these because they’re fairly idiot-proof, and after that, she makes a joke that when it has its own pups, she’ll be sure to give him one.

Chat Noir pauses. “Are you calling me an idiot?”

“I am, but I be-leaf in you.”

He gives her a light shove and Ladybug begins to giggle. 

Next, he gives her a pot of golden pothos, some of its stems already dangling over the side. He presents it to her proudly, and Ladybug grins.

“Another idiot-proof, propagate-able plant!” 

“I feel like you just keep insulting me even though I keep giving you gifts.”

“Yeah, but I regularly feed you.”

Chat Noir considers her point, which happens to be a bag of croissants. At this point he’s vaguely positive she works in a bakery. “Okay, I’ll take that.”

“Also, you adore me.”

“Yeah, and _you_ adore _me_.”

She doesn’t deny that, only setting the pot down for safekeeping while they go about their patrol.

Chat Noir continues to grace his favourite partner with plant after plant. One day she gives him own plant, the promised pilea pup in a terracotta pot that she painted little ladybugs on. 

Somehow he keeps it alive.

She tells him how wonderful her balcony garden looks with the snake plant and the watermelon peperomia and the purple hearts and the succulents. Ladybug explains which ones are in the shadier patch and which ones are in sun and how she’s divided the stems of her purple hearts into separate pots in different spots because they seem to turn different colours depending on how much sunlight they get. 

He remembers she loves pink, so a quick internet search has him gracing her with a calathea triostar, then a pink princess philodendron, and then some kind of rubber plant. 

Chat Noir honestly has no idea what any of these are, but Ladybug positively beams at him whenever he shows up with a new plant for her, so he thinks he’ll give a whole garden if it keeps her looking at him like that.


	22. true love's kiss

There’s an akuma running around putting people into deep slumbers that can only be fixed by true love’s kiss. Chat Noir flutters his eyelashes at her and Ladybug just gags.

“My lady, wouldn’t it be a shame if I were to…get hit?”

She snorts. “Yeah, because then someone would have to kiss that hole your cheese breath comes from.”

Chat Noir immediately forgets about the prospect of a kiss. “I already told you! My breath smells fine!”

“And yet I still smell the camembert.”

“That’s my kwami.”

“That just means that smell ends up all over you instead.” She snickers. “In addition to a magical suit, you get an extra layer of aged cheese for protection.”

“You–”

“It’s okay, stinky cheese boy. I still think you’re gouda.” Laughing to herself, Ladybug launches her yoyo and heads after the akuma.

Chat Noir takes a mint out of his pocket for just in case he does get hit (not that he’d try to be!) and Ladybug needs to save him.


	23. blindsided

Ladybug is furious when she realizes she’s in love with Chat Noir. 

She knows there was always something there. How could there not be? He was her partner. He had her back. He knew her in a way that no one else did. He was the only person she could ever truly relate to, the only person that could actually understand her. He’s funny and frustratingly charming and it doesn’t help that he’s honestly really freaking hot. 

She recalls how jealous she was over how he treated Ryuko. She recalls how jealous she was over how he treated _Marinette_. She can’t help that she gets a bit testy when he gets flirty with others and she hates herself for being bothered by that.

That tricky cat _bamboozled_ her and now she was _in love_ with him.

And now…now if he ever found out, he would be so infuriatingly smug about it! He would think his lines were smooth and that the way he fluttered his eyes at her was actually attractive. 

At first she tried to keep it to ignore it. Ladybug is great at ignoring her feelings, negative, positive, romantic, or otherwise. There was no reason Chat Noir _ever_ had to catch wind that she was in love with him. 

But then one night she saw him pause at a balcony they were climbing over to pet the cat that had been hanging around there and she just _melted_. They made it to the roof and Ladybug grabbed him and told him, “I’m in love with you.”

The words come out way more aggressively than any declaration of love ever should. Also she’s pretty sure she’s bruising him with her grip. 

Ladybug begins to panic though because he says nothing. “I mean, I think.”

Chat Noir visibly deflates. “You _think_?”

“I’m pretty sure.”

“What?”

“Okay, I lied.”

“You lied? Why would you _lie_ about something like that?”

“No! I mean I lied about just thinking. I know. I know I…love you.” Then she scowls. “ _Ugh_.”

“So you…” Chat Noir quiets down, processing her words, and looking so terribly hopeful. “You love me?”

She makes a face. “Yes.”

“ _YES_!” 

He’s pumping his fists in the air, excited and proud and soon after, he realizes he should be using those hands to do something else, like holds hers, so he does that instead. Their fingers are intertwined when he leans in closer and she doesn’t push him away. His smirk is impossibly smug and Ladybug just wants to kiss it off his face.

“I can’t believe you’re _in love_ with me.” 

“I know. It came as a surprise to me too.”

Chat Noir wraps his arms around her. “I always knew you’d fall for me one day, bugaboo.”


	24. giving up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Include spoilers for the Season 3 finale.

Ladybug has something she needs to say. Chat Noir can tell by the way she keeps glancing at him and then looking away. Her lips are drawn into a thin line while her eyes are largely downcast. Her shoulders shift from slumped to stiff, her hands twitch for purchase, and stages of worry flit across her face.

He doesn’t push her, opting to just sit beside her and wait. 

Finally, she breathes. “I need…help.”

Chat Noir just nods, leaving room for her to continue.

She swallows thickly. “With…with everything. With…everything. The miracle box, the…everything. ”

“Okay.” Chat Noir wants to take her hand but thinks that might make her think he’s not taking this seriously. He nods again and bumps her shoulder lightly. “I can help you.”

“Okay.” She smiles. There’s sadness in her eyes, but she looks at him like he’s some beacon of hope. 

“What would you like me to do?”

Her grin soon fades, making him wince. All of her newfound responsibility seem to flash through her mind.

“Actually,” he blurts out to interrupt her before she can spiral. Ladybug looks at him with pleading eyes, so he presses his shoulder against hers to make sure she knows he’s there. “Why don’t we figure that out together?” he suggests. “You tell me…everything. Or whatever you want to tell me.”

“Everything.” Ladybug shakes her head. “I need to tell you all of it. I can’t–I can’t–kitty, I can’t do this _alone_ –”

“And you won’t.” Chat Noir shifts so he’s sitting in front of her and he rests his hands on her shoulders. “We’ll talk about all of it, and when we’re done, we’ll decide what needs to be done and what to do from there, okay?”

“Okay.” Ladybug exhales like she’s finally remembered how to breathe. “Together?”

Chat Noir pulls her into his arms and Ladybug burrows closer. “Together.”


	25. hawkmoth's defeat

Hawk Moth goes out in a literal blaze. Ladybug and Chat Noir try to pull him away from his wife’s corpse, but he rages and raves and pushes them back. Chat Noir struggles with him until the magical fires grow too hot. The elevator stops working, so Ladybug pulls the two of them up the shaft after making sure to grab the butterfly and peacock miraculous. 

They know the mansion is empty, having ensured as much before following Hawk Moth down to his lair, so Ladybug stops a moment to raid Gabriel’s safe for any other magical artifacts. She tells Chat Noir to go ahead of her, but somehow he comes out after her with a few items of his own.

They rush away from the scene before any law enforcement notices them. After settling on a neighbouring rooftop, they watch the carnage unfold. Several firetrucks try to put out the fire, but it’s the result of a spell gone wrong and Ladybug doesn’t even know how to help. 

“He’s gone,” Ladybug breathes. There’s no way Hawk Moth survived that fire. 

“He’s gone,” Chat Noir repeats, choking on his words. 

Ladybug whips her head to the side and frowns when she sees him shaking. “Chat Noir?” She comes closer, leaning forward to catch his downcast gaze. He looks so shaken and sad and when he starts to tremble, Ladybug pulls him into her arms. “I’ve got you, kitty.”

She considers the messenger bag Chat Noir dropped by his feet, hastily packed and with things spilling out of it. That’s Adrien’s bag and fallen beside it is a picture of Adrien’s mother as well as a few of Adrien’s other things. 

“Ladybug…I–I don’t want to be alone tonight,” he cries into her shoulder. “I don’t want–”

“You don’t have to be alone _ever_ ,” Ladybug promises him, finally understanding. “I’m here with you, kitty. I’m not going anywhere.”


	26. sacrifice

Chat Noir is excited when he shows up to patrol with a box of cookies. “I made them,” he explains. “Mostly. Sort of. Okay, my friend did most of the work and she basically had to redo everything I did, _but_ I scooped the dough and put them on the tray all on my own.”

“Did you?”

He pauses. “Fine. No. I just…put them in the oven.”

Ladybug giggles. “Did you take them out of the oven too?”

“You bet!”

They head up to find a rooftop to settle upon and begin munching away. Ladybug tells him about her weekend plans and Chat Noir complains about how he has to work. Ladybug looks sad that he has to work at all in addition to working so hard already for Paris, but he just glances away, touched, and tells her it’s not a problem. They realize they’re thirsty, so Chat Noir jumps down to buy some drinks because he’s the only one with pockets and therefore the only one who can carry around some money. When he returns, they discuss the latest video games they started while finishing off the cookies. 

Seeing only one left, Chat Noir pushes the box her way. “You can have it.”

Ladybug glances down. She shakes her head and slides it back to him. “That’s okay.”

“Nonsense,” he counters, giving it back.

“I’m _good_ , kitty.”

“Liar.”

“I am not. Besides, you’re perpetually hungry. You need all the food you can get.”

“Yeah, but that’s because I’m a teenage boy.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t understand what we’re saying.” Chat Noir picks up the cookie and slowly brings it to her face. “Here comes the airplane.”

“ _Stop_!”

“ _You_ stop.”

“ _You_ stop– _ugh_.” Ladybug swats his hand and then takes the cookie from him. Chat Noir looks proud of his accomplishment, but Ladybug breaks it in half. She eats her own piece and then holds his up to his lips. “Here.”

He can’t help but smirk. “Feeding me, my lady? How roman–” 

Ladybug cuts him off by shoving the cookie in his mouth.


	27. comfort

Some nights it’s Ladybug that doesn’t want to call it quits. They’ll have run around Paris twice, but she’s still happy to sit among the gargoyles of Notre Dame. No, Chat Noir considers, not happy. She’s sad, and since being with his lady is the best part of his day, Chat Noir sticks around. Ladybug clearly wants his company, and he’s more than happy to give that to her.

He doesn’t bother trying to get her to talk, knowing she’ll do that in her own time. She draws her knees up to her chest and rests her chin upon them. He wants to hug her, draw her into his arms and fight off whatever is bringing her down, but he resists.

“It’s nothing,” she tells him.

“Right,” Chat Noir says sarcastically. “And I’m not the coolest cat in down.”

That gets a small smile out of her. Still she looks down glumly. “I just had a bad day. That’s all.”

“You can talk about it, if you’d like,” he suggests. He bumps her shoulder with his until he earns a real grin.

“I just don’t really want to go back to being me sometimes.” She takes a breath. “Most times.” She sighs. She shrugs. “All the time.”

“You’re you right now.”

“Hm?”

“You’re you always, with or without a mask. Right now you’re just…” He snorts, “You, but with questionable fashion choices.”

Ladybug rolls her eyes fondly. “I’ll have you know I’m very fashionable, kitty.”

“Yeah? Guess you’ll have to prove it to me one day.”

“Oh, I will.” She pokes his nose, amusement on her face, and something bursts in his chest at the sight of her finally smiling again. “I’ll prove it to everyone.”

“Then I’ll wait for the time to come.”

When they fall silent, Chat Noir starts rocking from left to right, at first only going an inch or two into Ladybug’s personal space until he’s finally pushing against her. She whines but he persists. When he’s practically on top of her, Ladybug moves her arm so he doesn’t crush it, and then rests it around his shoulders. She’s effectively holding him, so Chat Noir stays in place.

“I just had a bad day,” she tells him again. 

Chat Noir snuggles against her with wide eyes full of wonder. It’s his cat face and he knows she loves it despite how much she says otherwise. “Then I’ll make sure you have a good evening.”

Ladybug giggles at his silly face. “Thank you, kitty.”


	28. community service

There’s a cat shelter in Paris that posts a picture in which Chat Noir is sprawled on the floor with nearly a dozen cats on and around him. He looks positively delighted and is way more photogenic than he has any right to be. Naturally, this post has over ten thousand likes and hundreds of comments inquiring about cat adoption. 

Ladybug sees the value in the good publicity. Sure, she gets a bit nervous about showing favour to anyone or anything lest Hawk Moth try using that against them, but…well, Ladybug’s always been a bit partial to cats.

“This one is Duchess,” Chat Noir tells her when she decides to accompany him to one of his volunteer sessions. Fortunately, the shelter made good on their word to keep this visit a secret. “She is a very particular girl and only likes a select few people. Don’t be too offended if she doesn’t like you, my lady.” 

Chat Noir sets Duchess down beside her and sees pleased when the kitten crawls into Ladybug’s lap.

“I guess I made the cut?”

“You sure did.” Chat Noir winks. “After all, you have such a way with cats, bugaboo.”

Chat Noir proceeds to introduce her to a few others cats that have been in the shelter long before he ever came around. He’s pleased that so many got adopted, but it’s obvious he’s a bit bummed that some of his favourite friends are no longer there to visit. 

“It’s a good thing,” Ladybug reassures him. “Now they get to be pampered and play with people on a regular basis.”

“I know.” 

“I still can’t believe so many cats got adopted.”

“The post helped,” he admits. “They asked if it would be okay to put it up and well…” Chat Noir rubs the back of his neck. “I figured you’d get mad since you always worry about people we clearly like, but I wanted to give them the publicity.” He gestures to the row of empty cages. “They told me twenty-eight cats got adopted the next day! _Twenty-eight_.”

“You really helped them out.”

“I’m glad to.” He starts playing with the two cats that jump into his lap. “I can’t imagine what it must be like to finally get to be in a happy home.” One cat proceeds to crawl up to his shoulder and play with his bell. “Can you?” he asks his friend, clearly forgetting about Ladybug’s presence. “Imagine coming home to someone that wants you there? Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Ladybug shifts positions, trying to be loud to remind him she’s there without embarrassing him because something tells her she wasn’t meant to hear all of that.

Chat Noir clears his throat. “So were you thinking of adopting one, my lady?”

“No.” Ladybug shakes her head. “Unfortunately, my parents are both pretty against me getting a pet.” 

“That’s a shame.” He looks sad when he nods. “My father is the same.”

Ladybug simply cannot bear to see him so withdrawn, especially with how happy he’d been earlier as he introduced her to all of his cat friends. Reaching out, she places one hand on his head and ruffles his hair.

“Besides,” she continues with a grin, “I already have my favourite cat right here.”


	29. kwami swap

“You have beautiful eyes,” Ladybug blurts out. 

She’s so used to his catlike gaze, so seeing him like this with green irises surrounded by white feels brand new. Chat Noir’s new mask covers a little less of his face, but his flush practically matches its red. 

“I–er–thanks?” he rubs his neck awkwardly. The boy loves to flirt, but he’s so easily flustered. 

Ladybug wonders if this compulsion to charm comes with Plagg’s powers. She doesn’t spend too much time dwelling on that though. after all, she has such a handsome bug before her, and he’s just so much fun to tease.

She saunters closer, confident in her stride despite her new getup and new abilities. He swallows and she smirks. 

Her fingers find that spot under his chin and although he’s Ladybug right now, Chat Noir purrs all the same.

“You look good in red, kitty.” 


	30. inspiration

Adrien likes to collect articles detailing his and Ladybug’s adventures. He calls it his bugabook and is awfully proud of how much he’s been able to include over the years. 

There are newspaper clippings, printed articles from the Ladyblog, and candid photos of them that other people have taken. Adrien also holds onto ticket stubs from when they once went to the movies in their costumes, a few flowers from the crown she once made him when they were bored, a monogrammed napkin from the first place they ever bought lunch from, and so much more. 

Heroes’ Day is coming, and this year multiple papers and magazines are printing little submissions about who peoples’ heroes are. He did an assignment like that at school and, like so many others, wrote about how Ladybug was his hero. He includes his own statement in the book (it’ll be funny after their eventual reveal), as well as a few other well-written ones.

He’s skimming through one magazine, trying to find any other good submissions, when he notices one by Ladybug herself.

His eyes widen. He had no idea that Ladybug agreed to any interviews recently. 

The article details things that people already know but can’t get enough of. 

Interviewer: What’s your favourite colour?  
Ladybug: Pink

Interviewer: Favourite song?  
LB: Something by Jagged Stone for sure.  
Interviewer: Perhaps the one he wrote about you?

It’s all a standard profile including her likes and dislikes and a few random facts that he knows for a fact that she made up. After all, she once explained to him, she couldn’t have them knowing too much about her. Chat Noir snorts at her obvious fibs, but then he gets to the last question and that leaves him frozen.

Interviewer: Thanks for your time, Ladybug. Now, in celebration of Heroes’ Day, I have to ask. Who’s _your_ hero, Ladybug?  
LB: Chat Noir, of course.  
Interviewer: Chat Noir?  
LB: Yes, my partner. He’s so brave and strong and full of hope and warmth. He’s the one that inspired me to be the hero I am now.  
Interviewer: It sounds like you think a lot of him.  
LB: I think the world of him.

Adrien drops the magazine on his bed and takes a few breaths. His face feels flushed. He glances to the side, pleased to find Plagg munching away at some cheese and not paying any attention to him.

He rereads his name as her answer and his heart feels full. Then he goes over to his desk to grab some scissors.

This one’s going in the bugabook.


	31. waiting on you

On Wednesdays, Marinette dons something red and sits along a ledge by the Trocadero. The esplanade is full of people trying to take photos. She watches all of them, scanning each face and trying to find the only one that matters. She’d prefer to wait on one of the benches below, but she worries that he might not find her down there. After all, they never did specify just what spot they’d meet in, just as they never specified which Wednesday they’d meet on.

She checks her phone. The sun is setting, so she’ll probably leave in another hour. She has a lecture early in the morning, and she still needs to commute home. She looks around wildly, facing west when everyone else is so focused on the tower.

“Where are you?” she wonders.

Hawk Moth has been gone for seven months now, but so has Chat Noir.

She’s lost Tikki, lost her double life, and she’s lost her best friend. Marinette has doubled down on her studies, has seen her friends almost daily, and taken on more commissions. Alya’s tried setting her up on dates, justifying each one with Marinette seeming sad, but Marinette has only ever come back from them unsatisfied. She’s sure they’re nice people, but she knows who she wants and she’ll wait for him forever.

She laughs, wondering just when that silly cat tricked her into developing feelings for him. She decides it would be impossible to pinpoint the exact moment though because falling for him was a slow, gradual thing.

“Where are you?” she asks again, hating the desperation in her voice.

Chat Noir never made her any promises. Still, when she stopped him before they went after Hawk Moth into what they were nearly certain would be their final battle, he agreed when she suggested they hangout on Wednesday. That pulled him out of the quiet funk he’d entered weeks before. He blinked, a grin stretched across his face, and then he laughed.

“How will I find you?”

“I’ll wear something red.”

“You’re always in red, bug.”

“No. Something else red.”

“What do you mean–oh.” He falters at the prospect of meeting unmasks, but then he smiles once again. “Then I’ll bring you roses.”

“No, I won’t be able to carry roses around for what I have planned for us. Meet me at the Trocadero.”

He shook his head and hugged her tightly and then they went off to do their duties. Soon after that, they were separated, Gabriel Agreste’s near empty mansion ablaze, and their miraculous refusing to respond. Unable to transform, Ladybug found herself without a partner.

Marinette sighs as she calls this Wednesday another failure. She tries not cry, but her jaw quivers all the same.

“Where are you?” she whispers weakly. She closes her eyes and when she opens them, she has to blink away her tears. She crosses the esplanade to get to the metro but a voice stops her in her tracks.

“My lady?”

Marinette freezes. Her heart skips a beat because it’s been seven months but she knows that voice. She turns on her heel, catches a blur of blond hair and red roses, and promptly smothers her partner with a hug.

“You–you–” She trembles against him and Chat Noir wraps his arms around her.

“I’m sorry I made you wait so long, bugaboo.”

She shakes her head against his chest. “I don’t care,” she mumbles into his shirt. She spare a moment to consider his finely made suit. She wants to laugh, because what a dork he is to wear a suit to their would be date. “You’re here now, kitty.” She draws back smiling, ready to look him in the eye and tell him she loves him, but she finds herself blinking, mouth forming an ‘o’ in shock.

“Huh,” Chat Noir says, just as Adrien Agreste shakes his head fondly. “Of course it’s you.”

Marinette laughs. She laughs and she cries and she demands that he never disappear on her again. He, of course, agrees. There’s a lot they need to talk about, but they’ll do that later. She tells him that she loves him and he holds her through it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
